Unit 3 and 4 flaschards

Unit 3 (1754-1800)

Chapter 4 (Imperial Wars & Colonial Protests)

• Seven Years’ War (French & Indian War)- Final of 4 wars fought in between European nations; this one solidified the importance of Europe’s colonies

  • Beginning- France began to place forts along the Ohio River to stop British colonies from expanding westward; Governor of VA sent troops led by George Washington and later Braddock; war started; English vs French & Natives; French stopped British invasion of Canada under William Pitt btw

  • Albany Plan of Union- Made by Ben Franklin to unite colonies under one system for taxation, troops, and other war efforts; didn’t catch along b/c each colony wanted to have the taxing power; set precedent for later revolutionary Congresses

  • Effects of War

    • Treaty of Paris- Britain won; got territories north and south of colonies; certified British supremacy of NA; 

    • Immediate Effects- Established Britain as naval superpower; stopped any threat of French or Spanish colonial invasions; changed views between Britain & colonists

    • British View- Low opinion of Colonies; unorganized troops, unwillingness to send troops or pay for war efforts, wouldn’t defend new frontiers well

    • Colonial View- Very proud; confident they could defend themselves; unimpressed w/ British troops and how they fought b/c it didn’t fit w/ American woodlands

• Shift in British Policy

  • End of Salutary Neglect- After war, Britain enforced the Navigation Acts and began to assert much more power on the colonies; wanted to expand British troops on frontier; wanted colonists to pay for war 

  • Pontiac’s Rebellion- Chief Pontiac was angered by colonial expansion; began uprising in 1763; England didn’t rely on colonial troops; sent their own troops; first major test of England's new policy

  • Proclamation of 1763- To end conflicts between colonists and natives while also stabilizing the western frontier, England prohibited westward expansion past the Appalachians; angered colonists but they still expanded out

• British Taxes- British thought it was justified; Americans believed it was an infringement of liberty & “taxation w/o representation”

  • Sugar Act- (Revenue Act); 1764; taxed sugar; stricter enforcement against smuggling

  • Quartering Act- 1765; required colonists to house and feed British troops

  • Stamp Act- Tax on legal documents, newspapers, etc. First direct tax on colonists (import taxes were paid by merchants not ordinary citizens); infuriated colonists

    • Stamp Act Congress- 9 colonies met under peaceful committee; decided taxation needed to be done by representative; taxation w/ representation

    • Sons & Daughters of Liberty- Violent group that protested against Stamp Act; harassed tax collectors

    • Repealment- Protests pressured British Parliament to repeal Stamp Act in 1766; showed protests could work

  • Declaratory Act- Said parliament could tax and make laws for colonies “in all cases whatsoever”; infuriated Colonists

• 2nd Phase of British Taxes- 1767-1773; uh oh

  • Townshend Acts- Went apeshit and taxed literally everything; tea, glass, & paper. Required raised revenues to go to crowned officials, making those separate from the independent representative assemblies; weakened power of representative assemblies. Allowed for search of private homes where smuggling was suspected. 

    • Response- Colonists weren’t super angry at first b/c the taxes were indirect (only affected merchants)

      • John Dickinson- Letters from a Farmer- Argued against taxation w/o representation; caught colonists’ attention

      • Circular Letter- James Otis & Samuel Adams passed message to legislatures to petition for the repealment of Townshend; Parliament tried to stop it by enforcing troops in Boston; colonial boycotts on British goods increased

    • Repealment- New British Prime Minister argued it was bad for trade; still taxed tea but smaller tax, seemed to alleviate issues

  • Boston Massacre- Small fight between British troops & colonists; renewed conflicts after brief alleviation; increased Anti-British sentiments 

  • Boston Tea Party- Boycott of British Tea; dumped it all in the sea; some colonists thought it was justified while others thought it was too radical

  • Intolerable Acts- Response to Boston Tea Party (Coercive Acts)

    • Coercive Acts- Series of Acts; closed Boston port, reduced power of Mass. legislature while increasing power of royal governor, allowed for royal officials charged w/ crimes to be tried in England (allowed for corruption and bias), expanded Quartering Act to all colonies

• Influence of Enlightenment Ideas- John Locke grew popular as did future American leaders, shaping their minds to be more focused on the science of man and individual rights which would translate into the ideas behind America’s Constitution

Summary: After the 7 Years War (French & Indian War) primarily caused by an on-going conflict between European empires, some of which, specifically the 4th one, extended into their colonies. During this war, Benjamin Franklin, an important colonial figure, tried to establish the Albany Plan of Union in an effort to mobilize colonial troops. Though this didn’t catch on, it set a precedent of the colonies coming together under one common goal. As the war ended with a British colony, therefore a colonial one, colonists found themselves extremely proud of their efforts in war and generals, such as Washington and Braddock, while the British were disappointed with colonial efforts and believed it was now up to colonists to repay for war debts. This idea carried on to the end of salutary neglect and the enforcement of the Navigation Acts, with a much more involved British policy in the colonies. Opposition to this was immediately seen in Pontiac’s Rebellion, leading to the creation of the Proclamation of 1763, being the first major British imposement on colonists. This policy would continue in a first phase, with many examples, but the most notable being the Sugar Act, Quartering Act, and Stamp Act, which was the first direct taxes on colonists, not just merchants. This would lead to colonial opposition with Samuel Adams and the Sons and Daughters of Liberty, and the Stamp Act Congress, being violent and peaceful respectively, leading to the repealment of the Stamp Act, only for British Parliament to replace it with the Declaratory Act (allowed Britain to pass any act and levy and tax). Then, from 1767-1773, a second phase of even more aggressive British policy began, though these phases are arbitrary and are just a way for historians to classify things, with the Townshend Acts (taxed a variety of imports). However, this did not spark the same anger as the Stamp Act nor Declaratory Act, since it was an indirect tax, but did lead to John Dickison’s Letters from a Farmer, which argued that British Parliament could ultimately not make these decisions because colonists did not have representation; “taxation without representation”. While this book was catching the attention of many colonists, the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party occured, proving the immense tension between Britain and the colonies. This would all culminate in the Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts) which were the “last straw” for colonists, closing down Boston’s port, a major colonial port, giving more power to royal governors while taking power away from representative colonial assemblies, and expanding the Quartering Act. 

Chapter 5 (American Revolution)

• Intolerable Acts Impact- Made some colonists believe the only way left was to sever ties w/ Britain and become independent. Most colonists, however, only wanted to go back to how things w/ Britain were before the 7 Years War

• First Continental Congress- Intolerable acts drove colonies to send out delegates to Philadelphia expect Georgia; focused on Colonial resistance to Intolerable Acts using free speech and open debate 

  • Actions- Proposed repeal of Intolerable Acts (Suffolk Resolves, passed the Declaration & Resolves urging the King to fix colonial problems while still letting Parliament control commerce, created Continental Association to enforce the economic sanctions of the Suffolk Resolves, and promised that if these were not resolved, Delegates would meet again 

• Fighting Begins- Britain sees Mass as being in rebellion; sends troops.

  • Lexington & Concord- Lexington was first battle; British Thomas Gage, Colonial Minutemen (Revere and William Dawes); Concord; first time fought, “the shot heard round the world”

  • Bunker Hill- First major Colonial victory; heavy losses on British side

• Second Continental Congress- NE delegates wanted independence, middle colonies wanted to mend relationships w/ Britain

  • Olive Branch Petition- Colonists pledged loyalty to Britain and asked for Parliamentary protection of colonies; King George didn’t read it and Parliament declared colonies in rebellion; led many Americans to now want independence

• Thomas Paine’s Common Sense- Pamphlet which argued for independence; appealed to a lot of colonists b/c of its simple language, statistics, and emotional aspects.  Led many Americans to now want independence

• Declaration of Independence- Drafted by TJ, listed specific grievances against King George; “all men are created equally”

• Revolutionary War

  • Patriots- New England & VA; George Washington was big commander

  • African Americans- English tried to pay African Americans their freedom to use in the army; Patriots eventually did so too

  • Tories- Pro-British Loyalists; NY, NJ, & GA had most; fought w/ British

  • French Alliance- Basically saved Patriots after many losses 

    • Battle of Saratoga- Major American victory; persuaded France to help Patriots; wanted to weaken Britain 

    • Yorktown- Ended Revolutionary War w/ American victory

  • Treaty of Paris- (1) Britain recognized America as an independent nation, (2) Mississippi would be western border of America (3) America had the fishing rights on the coast of Canada. (4) Americans would pay debt to British merchants & Tories for land confiscation

• New Government- Conservatives wanted law & order vs Liberals who wanted to prevent tyranny. Separation of powers in gov (3 branches), basic human rights, voting for all white land-owning men, higher property qualification for office-holders

• Articles of Confederation- Ratified in 1777; unicameral system (one house; Congress), gave Congress power to wage war, make treaties, send diplomats, and borrow $.

  • Accomplishments 

    • Won the War

    • Abolished nobility

    • Separation of Church & State- Religious freedom everywhere and no church tax

    • Land Ordinance of 1785- Congress established policy for surveying and selling western lands for town-building

    • Northwest Ordinance of 1787- Granted limited self-gov and prohibited slavery in area from Ohio River to Great Lakes

  • Problems- Fed Gov had no power compared to states

    • Financial- Congress had no taxing power; couldn’t pay back war debt

    • Shays Rebellion- Daniel Shay and other farmers protested the high state taxes, imprisonment for debt, and lack of paper money in Mass. Federal gov couldn’t enforce anything; made US look weak 

• Role of Women- Ran farms and businesses of men, nurses, cooks, some even fought (Molly Pitcher); became somewhat more important but were still 2nd class; Abigail Adams was big feminist of the time

Summary: In response to the Intolerable Acts, colonists, still against independence but wanting to mend the relations with Britain back to how they were before the French and Indian War, organized together. One key example was the First Continental Congress which sought to organize a resistance to the Intolerable Acts through open speech and debate. Real conflicts then began when British Parliament ordered troops in the colonies to fight the “rebellion” occuring in Massachusetts. This led to the first shots of the Revolutionary War at Lexington and later Concord, both being the first battles, followed by Bunker Hill. These battles led to the Second Continental Congress, which sent the Olive Branch Petition to pledge colonial loyalty to the King and try to fix relations, which was utterly rejected by King George III, and the rising popularity of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, leading many colonists to now wanting independence, especially in the North, leading to Thomas Jefferson drafting the Declaration of Independence. As the Revolutionary War waged on, a division between pro-independence Patriots in New England and Tories-- loyalists -- in New Jersey, New York, and Georgia. However, Colonial Patriots were taking heavy losses in the war until the Battle of Saratoga which garnered the respect of France and therefore it’s alliance, helping Patriots win at Yorktown and the Revolutionary War itself, resulting in the Treaty of Paris, recognizing America as independent and establishing American borders. During the war, colonists devised a new government-- the Articles of Confederation. Though the Articles won the Revolutionary War and established the NORTHWEST ORDINANCE WHICH PROHIBITED SLAVERY IN AREAS FROM THE OHIO RIVER TO THE GREAT LAKES, it had many faults, mostly being that the federal government didn’t have enough power, not being able to levy taxes nor enforce militia. This led to extremely high state taxes, leading to Shays Rebellion in Massachusetts, proving the weaknesses of the Articles and how Americans could and would rebel against their own government, ultimately making the newborn country look bad. 

Chapter 6 (Constitution & New Republic)

• US under AOC- Weak federal gov, troubling foreign views on US, weak economy

  • Annapolis Convention- James Madison & Alexander Hamilton convinced delegates further conventions should be held to revise AOC

• Drafting of Constitution- In Phili; All states went except RI b/c they were afraid of the power larger states might have; small vs large states

  • Important Figures- GW, Ben Franklin, James Madison, Alex. Ham., Gouverneur Morris, John Dickison; all wanted to strengthen nation & federal gov

  • Issues

    • Representation- VA Plan; Madison; favored large states. NJ Plan; small states. Compromise; Connecticut Plan/ Great Compromise-- two houses; HOR based on size; Senate equal

    • Slavery- Couldn’t ban b/c no Southern support; slave representation; 3/5s Compromise made 3 out of 5 slaves count for representation & taxation; Congress would leave slave trade up to 1808 where it would then be decided

    • Trade- North wanted commerce to be controlled by gov; South didn’t b/c tariffs; Commerce Compromise made Congress regulate interstate commerce, but no tariffs on exports (imports allowed)

    •  Presidency- Limited it to 4-year terms; had power to veto acts from Congress; voted in by electoral college

      • Ratified on Sept 17, 1787- started use in May 1790

• Federalists vs Anti-Federalists- 

  • Federalists- GW, Ben Franklin, James Madison, John Jay, Alex. Ham.;North rich people; supported Constitution

    • Federalist Papers- John Jay; Alex Ham; Madison; argued for Constitution

  • Anti-Federalists- George Mason, some other ppl; small farmers on western frontier; wanted to amend AOC

    • Bill of Rights- Legacy of Anti-Federalists; addition to protect individual rights for no tyranny; First 10 amendments (freedom of speech, etc.)

    • Democratic-Republicans- Anti-Federalists after Constitution passed (Madison became Dem-Rep)

• Washington’s Presidency- it was good, setted precedents like cabinet and 2 term limit.

  • Cabinet- TJ- Secretary of State, AHam- Treasurer, Henry Knox, & Edmund Randolph

  • Hamilton’s Financial Program- (1) Pay off nat debt at face value (2) Protect nation’s developing industry w/ tariffs & such (3) Create a nat bank to stabilize currency & econ 

    • Opposition- TJ & Anti-Federalists argued bank was unconstitutional; Ham argued “necessary & proper” clause- Congress could do whatever they wanted as long as it benefited society. Loose vs Strict interpretation of Constitution

  • Foreign Affairs

    • Proclamation of Neutrality (1793)- America would stay uninvolved w/ foreign affairs; specifically, stayed out of French Revolution even though TJ wanted to aid France

    • Jay Treaty- Britain was capturing US ships & putting US navy into British Navy; impressment; John Jay was sent over to negotiate; Britain agreed to get rid of posts on Western frontier; nothing about impressment; unpopular among Americans but kept US neutral

    • Pinckney Treaty- Got new territory in Miss. from Spain 

  • Domestic Concerns

    • Treaty of Greenville- Opened up land in Ohio; Natives surrendered & gave it up

    • Whiskey Rebellion (1794)- Congress set heavy taxes on whiskey & other products; farmers in Penn protested; GW put them down w/ a militia w/ almost no bloodshed spilled; showed how much more powerful Const. was; most Americans liked; Westerners & TJ did not

  • Farewell Address- Warned America to not get involved in foreign affairs and make alliances, not to form political parties, and to minimize sectionalism. Also set precedent for 2 term limit.

• John Adams’ Presidency- Federalist

  • XYZ Affair- French were impressing ships; French ministers requested bribes to even negotiate; enraged Americans; Federalists wanted to go to war; Adams stopped it

  • Alien & Sedition Acts- Allowed for deportation of immigrants considered “dangerous” and prohibited news of criticizing president; used mostly to keep Federalists in power 

  • KY & VA Resolutions- Virginia & Kentucky nullified -- rejected -- the Alien & Sedition Acts b/c it was unconstitutional; secretly written by Dem-Rep TJ & Madison; all happened before judicial review; SCOTUS decided whether a law was constitutional or not

• Election of 1800- Federalists lost popularity b/c of A&S acts & taxes. Dem-Rep; Aaron Burr vs TJ; tie; had to go to the HOR; Hamilton helped TJ get in office despite not really liking him; better than Burr

  • Impact- Peaceful transition from Federalists to Dem-Rep; basically unheard of at the time. Jefferson called it the “Revolution of 1800”

Summary: After important figures, such as Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, and countless others, decided that the Articles of Confederation were not stable enough to ensure American prosperity, delegates from each state, except Rhode Island who were afraid of the power large states might have, met in Philadelphia to decide on a new Constitution. Key issues brought up during the convention were the issues between representation, the Virginia Plan suiting larger states and the New Jersey Plan suiting smaller states, eventually compromising in the Connecticut Plan, creating two houses -- the House of Representation, basing representation off population, and the Senate, having equal representation among all states. This issue was further explored in questions over how slaves would be counted, the convention eventually coming up with the 3/5s Compromise, counting 3 out of 5 slaves for representation and taxation. During the months between the creation and ratification of the Constitution, factions were created in American politics, mainly Federalists, which were often wealthy Northerners who believed in a strong federal government, their views being best expressed in the Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, and anti-federalists, which were often Southerners and Westerners, believing in only amending the Articles instead of creating a whole new Constitution, believing the people should have the most power. This would eventually culminate in a Federalist victory with the ratification of the Constitution in 1788, but now having a Bill of Rights heavily pushed for by Anti-Federalists, which became Democratic-Republicans once the Constitution passed. This would lead to Washington’s unanimous election in 1789, best known for the debates in Hamilton’s Financial Program, establishing a National Bank and increased tariffs to protect Northern industry, creating the “necessary and proper” clause, deeming that Congress could do as they wished as long as it benefited society, Washington’s Proclamation of Neutrality claiming America would stay uninvolved in foreign affairs, later demonstrated by Jay’s Treaty, which kept America out of war despite Britain's clear violations of American respect through impressment of the US Navy, his quick halt to the Whiskey Rebellion, proving how strong the federal government was under the Constitution, and his farewell address, warning Americans not to get involved in foreign affairs and not to create sectionalism and political parties. The next President covered was John Adams, a federalist, infamously known for the XYZ Affair, once again keeping America out of War, despite the preposterous actions of France, and Alien and Sedition Acts, setting limitations on immigrants’ rights and censoring news criticizing the President, to keep Federalists in power. This was countered with the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, nullifying these acts claiming them to be unconstitutional, secretly written by Jefferson and Madison, respectively. Due to these, the Federalist Party would lose popularity and the Democratic-Republican party gained popularity, leading to the election of Jefferson and an unprecedented peaceful shift in political parties.

Unit 4 (1800-1860)

Chapter 7 (Jeffersonian Era)

• Jefferson’s Presidency- Tried to unite Dem-Reps & Federalists & limit power of fed gov

  • Louisiana Purchase- Jefferson bought Louisiana from France for cheap b/c they were struggling to maintain the land & had other affairs to deal with; proved to challenge Jefferson’s strict interpretation of Constitution; doubled size of US, removed Europeans from borders w/ US, & allowed for farmers to move westward

• John Marshall & SCOTUS- Federalist courts; troubled Jefferson; John Marshall; Chief Justice

  • Marbury v. Madison (1803)- Established judicial review-- SCOTUS could decide on constitutionality of an act by Congress or the President

• Aaron Burr- Dem-Rep but opponent of TJ b/c TJ “abandoned” Dem-Rep ideals

  • Federalist Conspiracy- Didn’t get nominated for VP again; joined w/ radical Federalists in NY to combine NY w/ NE states & secede

  • Duel w/ Hamilton- Since Federalists mostly followed AHam; Burr killed him

  • Treason- Burr tried to take Mexico & become the ruler to go against US; TJ accused him of treason; SCOTUS let Burr go

• Foreign Affairs- Wanted to stay neutral; proved to be difficult

  • Chesapeake-Leopard Affair- British & French had already been impressing US ships; British ship Leopard fired at US ship Chesapeake; Americans wanted war; TJ preferred economic pressure

  • Embargo Act (1807)- Wanted to pressure England by stopping trade completely; completely failed and ended up greatly hurting US econ & merchants since Britain & France were main trading partners; repealed in 1809 but US ships weren’t allowed to trade w/ GB or France (Nonintercourse Act of 1809)

• Madison’s Presidency- Dem-Rep; heavily helped by TJ

  • Macon’s Bill No.2 (1810)- Restored trade w/ GB & Fr; if one agreed on US’ neutral rights; US’ would stop trade w/ the other; Napoleon agreed; US stopped trading w/ GB but French kept seizing US merchant ships

• War of 1812

  • Causes- French & British disrespecting US neutral rights (British was worse; impressment; French only seized merchant ships) & British conflicts on US west frontier w/ Natives & British aid to Natives @ Battle of Tippecanoe 

  • Warhawks- Led by Henry Clay & John C. Calhoun; desperately wanted to defend American honor in war, push Natives back, & gain Canada

  • Declaration of War- Congress & Madison declared war on Britain for not respecting US neutral rights; Southern states wanted war, Northern did not

  • Opposition to War- Federalist, “quids” (old Dem-Rep) didn’t want war b/c (1) merchants were doing fine after repeal of Embargo (2) Protestant sympathy to England over Catholic France (3) Federalist saw the war as a scheme by Dem-Reps to acquire more land to get more voting power (4) “Quids” argued it disrupted maintenance of peace & gave too much power to federal gov

  • Strategies- (1) Hope Napoleon would succeed in Europe & weaken Britain (2) Invade Canada-- Neither of those worked

    • Chesapeake Campaign- After Napoleon’s defeat; British marched to DC & burned that shit down; tried to take Baltimore; Fort McHenry defended it

    • Southern Campaign- Andrew Jackson was going apeshit on the British and defeated them everywhere even after the war was done @ New Orleans; got Jackson to fame

  • Treaty of Ghent- Madison knew US couldn’t make a decisive win, Britain was more focused on maintaining peace in Europe; treaty returned all captured land to pre-war claimants, stopped the fighting, & recognized the pre-war border between US & Canada. Treaty said nothing about British impressment; no real winner

  • Hartford Convention- Radical federalists wanted to secede b/c of their opposition to war & Dem-Reps in DC; delegates from NE met @ Hartford Convention & rejected seceding but wanted to limit the power of Dem-Reps in the South; wanted 2/3s majority for declaring war; war ended & convention became redundant; weakened power of Federalists 

  • War’s Legacy- US gained respect from other nations for surviving 2 wars against Britain, US accepted Canada as British Empire, Federalist party basically collapsed, nullification & secession used in NE would eventually become Southern idea, Natives lost land, US industry developed & moved towards self-sufficiency, William Harrison & Andrew Jackson rose to fame as war heroes, great feeling of nationalism

Summary: Succeeding John Adams’ controversial presidency came an unprecedented peaceful shift over to the Democratic-Republican party in the hands of Thomas Jefferson. Despite the president being Democratic-Republican, a large portion of the Supreme Court was federalist, leading to Marbury v. Madison, which established judicial review, allowing the Supreme Court to decide on the constitutionality of an act, therefore giving it the power to veto decisions by the President and/or Congress. At home, the American government was dealing with the threat of Natives and Aaron Burr, who sparked the idea of seceding in radical Federalists, ultimately failing. However, much more importantly, issues abroad were occuring, primarily; France and Britain failed to respect and violated the neutral rights of the US at seas, with the British notoriously seizing US Navy ships and taking in soldiers as their own, otherwise known as impressment. After the Chesapeake-Leopard Incident, in which a British ship attacked an American one, and its response, the Embargo Act of 1807, ultimately failing. war on Britain was declared, under the newly elected Democratic-Republican James Madison, starting the War of 1812. Despite its popularity among Americans, wanting to defend their honor, and warhawks, political figures pushing for war, like Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun, it did not come without opposition, mostly from radical Federalists and some merchants who argued the war was harming American commerce and was a scheme for Democratic-Republicans to gain more political power through expansion, many in New England even going as far as to threaten to secede, which was put down at the ultimately uneventful Hartford Convention. Despite the naval successes and the victories in the South, making Andrew Jackson a war hero, Madison ultimately doubted America’s success in the war against an extremely powerful Britain, leading to the signing and establishment of the Treaty of Ghent, which stopped the fighting and returned pre-war lands to their claimants. Despite not ending in a decisive victory for the US, the War of 1812 began an immense feeling of pride and nationalism in Americans, developing US industry during the time of war, and leading to the collapse of the Federalist party, who were deemed unpatriotic. 

Chapter 8 (Era of Good Feelings)

• Era of Good Feelings- Nationalism & unity after War of 1812; one party; Dem-Rep; Federalists collapsed; somewhat misleading since debates over tariffs, the national bank, slavery, and the Panic of 1819 occured. 

  • James Monroe- Dem-Rep; won in 1816; represented growing nationalism of Americans

• Cultural Nationalism- Younger generations now felt distinct and American; had their own literature, art, etc.; wanted to expand westward & didn’t care about European politics

• Econ Nationalism- Political movement of protecting US industries & internal improvements

  • Tariff of 1816- First protective US tariff; most, even South, supported it

  • Henry Clay’s American System- Clay’s plan to develop the domestic economy through protective tariffs to protect US industries, a national bank to provide a national currency, & internal improvements (roads, canals, etc.) to facilitate transportation & communication. Tariffs for East, internal improvements for West & South, National Bank for all; Monroe rejected internal improvements by arguing the Constitution didn’t give fed gov the power to fund them; states had to do so

• Panic of 1819- First major econ downfall; happened b/c 2nd National Bank tightened credit & too much land speculation out West; unemployment, poverty, bankruptcies; shoke nationalism & left westerners upset & wanting land reform to reassure their land

• Political Changes- Political factions occurred in Dem-Rep party; old Dem-Reps wanting strict interpretation like John Randolph & John C. Calhoun (wanted states’ rights); new Dem-Reps wanting protective tariffs & the national bank and looser interpretation like Daniel Webster

• SCOTUS- John Marshall; last major federalist; often sided w/ Dem-Reps

  • Fletcher v Peck (1816)- Ruled states could not pass legislation invalidating a contract; first time SCOTUS declared state law to be unconstitutional

  • Dartmouth v Woodward (1819)- Struck down state law; contract for private corporation couldn’t be messed w/ by states

  • McCulloch v Maryland (1819)- Ruled that National Bank was constitutional & ruled Supreme/Federal Law over State Law

  • Cohens v Virginia (1821)- Ruled that the SCOTUS could review a state court’s decision

  • Gibbons v Odgen (1821)- Ruled that states could not control interstate commerce; only fed gov

• Westward Expansion 

  • Causes- Large amounts of land open after Native defeat in War of 1812, economic opportunities, improvements in transportation facilitated it, immigration in cheap land out west

  • Missouri Compromise- Missouri applied for statehood; would break the balance of free/slave states; Clay’s Proposal; (1) Make Missouri slave (2) Create Maine as free state (3) Prohibit slavery in Lousiana Purchase territory north of the 36,30 line; established precedent for free/slave states balance & border for slavery’s expansion

• Foreign Affairs

  • Florida- Overthrew Natives & Spanish during War of 1812 under General Jackson; Florida Purchase Treaty in 1819 (Adams-Onis Treaty) bought Florida & Texas from Spain

  • Monroe Doctrine- Told Europe to stay away from the Western Hemisphere and not intervene w/ any American affairs; set precedent for US foreign policy in 1800s; pushed by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams 

• Growth of Industry- Aided greatly by newly built roads, canals, steamboats, & early railroads

  • Mechanical Inventions- Eli Whitney; cotton gin- greatly increased production of cotton in South

  • Northern Industry- Samuel Slater; water-powered textile factories in NE; made NE biggest manufacturing zone of US; labor; women, children, & immigrants; Unions; workers organized & protested long hours, low pay, poor working conditions; challenges; state laws banning unions, frequent economic stumbles w/ unemployment, & immigrant replacement for workers

• Effects of Market Revolution

  • Women- Had somewhat more financial control over their lives; Lowell System employed many; legal restrictions remained (no voting, etc)

  • Social Mobility- Became easier to go from poor to rich than in Europe due to free(er) capitalism, still very challenging though

  • Slavery- Though many thought it would slowly dissapear, it actually increased greatly w/ the addition of slave states & more effecient ways of producing cotton (slaves still had to pick the cotton)

Summary: After the War of 1812 and the collapse of the Federalist party, Americans found themselves in the Era of Good Feelings, an era marked with cultural nationalism and pride, yet misleading due to the numerous debates and problems that occured. During this time, the Democratic Republican Party, the single party in the US, pushed for economic improvements, mostly through Henry Clay’s American system of protective tariffs to protect US industries, internal improvements to facilitate transportation and aid Southern and Western farmers through roads, early railroads, and canals, and the renewal of the National Bank to stabilize the American currency. Despite these initiatives, the US still suffered through the first major financial crisis in US history, the Panic of 1819, caused by the National Bank and over-speculation out west. This would also cause factions to be created in the Democratic Republican Party, mainly “old” Democratic Republicans such as John Randolph and the “new” Democratic Republicans such as Daniel Webster who believed in a “looser” interpretation of the Constitution and internal improvements. However, despite the Federalist party collapsing, one key Federalist remained; John Marshall, the head of the Supreme Court. During this era, key cases were decided, most notably; McCulloch v Maryland, which established federal/supreme power over state power and Gibbons v Odgen, which ruled states could not intervene with commerce, only the federal government could, once again establishing federal power over state power. Due to the large amount of land gained during the War of 1812 and stolen from Natives, a wave of Westward Expansion occurred, mostly fueled by economic opportunities and cheap land for both American farmers and immigrants. This would lead to issues once territories became states, such as when Missouri tried to enter the US as a slave state. However, this would disrupt the balance in power between slave and free states, leading to Henry Clay’s Missouri Compromise, allowing Missouri in as a slave state for creating Maine as a free state and establishing the 36,30 line which would create a border for slavery; all states above would be free and all states below would be slave states, setting a precedent for the balance between slave and free states. During this time of expansion and caused by perceived threats of European monarchies claiming and establishing colonies in the Western Hemisphere, James Monroe, aided by John Quincy Adams, warned Europe to not intervene with the Western Hemisphere or its affairs in the Monroe Doctrine. Due to domestic improvements in technology, such as the Lowell Mills and the cotton gin, a market economy began. This would greatly expand slavery, develop New England as the leading manufacturer in America, improving social mobility, employing thousands of women in the Northeast, and creating Unions which challenged the poor working conditions, long hours, and low wages of Northeastern factories.

Chapter 9 (Sectionalism)

• North- Most immigration, industry, commercial farming- steel plow & mechanical reaper for corn & wheat in Northwest, transportation, population

  • Unions- Commonwealth v. Hunt allowed for unions & strikes; crowded cities w/ poor sanitation, crime, & disease; 

  • African Americans- Free but w/ limited rights, normally low-income jobs & strikebreakers- hired to replace strikers; 

  • Immigration- Irish & Germans fleeing famines & revolutions, wanting economic opportunities; 

  • Nativism- Feared immigrants would take jobs, weaken Anglo culture, distrusted Catholic Irish & Germans; first major wave of nativism

• South- Slavery, agriculture- tobacco, rice, cotton- King Cotton- foreign reliance on cotton

  • “Peculiar Institution”- Slavery in the South; slave-owners now argued for slavery b/c of religious & historical reasons; argued slavery was good for both the slave & master; compared to colonial times where it was for econ reasons

    • Very few but some free slaves in South; very limited rights, always threatened by potential kidnaps

  • Slave Resistance- Work slowdowns, sabotage, escape, some slave uprisings; Nat Turner (1831); revolts gave hope to slaves & exposed North to horrors of slavery

  • White Hierarchy- Aristocrats w/ over 100 slaves, farmers w/ ~20 slaves, majority were poor farmers w/o slaves; still defended slavery b/c they thought they could one day own slaves

• West- From Mississippi River to California; wasn’t very settled yet (not Northwest w/ commercial farming; more west coast)

  • Natives- Natives had already been pushed back beyond Miss. River but were left in Great Plains b/c Americans skipped over it & went straight to far west

  • Frontier- Even though the border get getting further the idea remained; possibility for a fresh start out west

Summary: During a time of rapid expansion, the beginning of industrialization, and growing nationalism, the United States was ironically separated culturally, economically, and morally. In the Northeast and Northwest was where the most industry and commercial farming was seen, resulting in the overall highest population, having the highest population of free African Americans, who, despite having their social, political and economic rights extremely constricted, were better off than being slaves in the deep South. Unions, now legal and able to go on strike due to the decision in Commonwealth V. Hunt, began to be created in response to the poor working conditions, low pay, and long hours of industrial work. However, this industry would lead to great economic success, encouraging many Germans and Irish to immigrate over, also escaping famines and poverty, sparking the Nativist resistance, in which Anglo-Saxon Protestant Americans rioted and were heavily against the Catholic Germans and Irish. In contrast, the Southern states relied heavily on agriculture, mostly tobacco, rice, and cotton, farmed by slaves, and on the foreign reliance of their agriculture. Slavery was so ingrained into the life of Southerners that it was deemed the “peculiar institution”, with many white slavery apologists claiming slavery was beneficial for both the master and slave. This in turn would leave to slave resistance, coming in the form of work slowdowns, sabotage, escaping, and most impactful, violent uprisings, such as the one seen in Nat Turner’s revolt, exposing the North to the horrors of slavery and giving hope to slaves. Finally, in the new, largely underdeveloped West, Natives had been left in the Great Plains region while Americans migrated to California and the West Coast. Overall, these growing differences would lead to tensions of several issues, mainly slavery and states’ rights, which would ultimately lead to the Civil War.

Chapter 10 (Jacksonian Era)

• Jacksonian Democracy- Era of popular politics; more equality between rich & poor than in Europe noted Alexis de Tocqueville (French tourist); white Americans believed in equality for all white men; common man was now important to politics

  • Universal Male Suffrage- By 1840 almost all states had given the vote and right to office to all males; allowed for the common man to get a voice whereas before it was mostly wealthy plantation owners in South & merchants in North voting

  • Party Nominating Conventions- Before; candidates were chosen in closed-door caucuses; now; common citizens could vote for candidates

  • Popular Campaigning- Campaigns became more popular; turned into festivals almost; got the attention of common man

  • Spoils System & Rotation of Office Holders- Spoils System; put people in gov jobs based on support not merit; lead to a lot of stupid people w/ gov jobs but also let many more people have gov jobs. Rotation; gov workers were limited to one term to let as many people in; increased voice of middle-class man.

• Election of 1824- Four way between Dem-Reps John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, William Crawford, & Andrew Jackson; Jackson won popular vote but not electoral vote; JQA won

  • Corrupt Bargain- Henry Clay used his influence in the House of Rep to get Adams elected; Adams made him Secretary of State; Jackson & his supporters were infuriated arguing private schemes had interfered w/ the decision of voters

  • Tariff of Abominations- Heavy tariff imposed by Adams; southerners were infuriated & began to support Jackson

• Revolution of 1828- “Old Hickory”; Andrew Jackson had massive support from Southerners & Westerners; won election of 1828

• Jackson’s Presidency- “Protector of common man”; vetoed more bills than any president; 12

  • Indian Removal Act (1830)- Forced Natives west of Mississippi river to let land-hungry Americans use the land; Bureau of Indian Affairs was created to assist the resettlement of tribes; most politicians were in agreement

    • Cherokee Nation v Georgia (1831)- Ruled Cherokee Nation was not a foreign nation & could not sue SCOTUS

    • Worcester v Georgia (1832)- Ruled that the state of Georgia could not interfere w/ Cherokee territory

      • Eitherways, w/o President support neither of these could’ve worked; Cherokee were removed; Trail of Tears

  • Nullification Crisis- South Carolina nullified tariff of 1828 & a new tariff in 1832; convention in SC met & prohibited collection of tariffs in SC; Jackson saw this as treason & prepared military action; came to compromise -- lower the tariff; set precedent of Southern states nullifying tariffs; states rights’

  • Bank Veto- Jackson vetoed continuation of National Bank despite it working well b/c he didn’t trust banks, saw it as unconstitutional, & wanted to weaken his political enemy; Henry Clay. 

    • Pet Banks- Distributed wealth of National Bank to local banks w/ help of Treasurer Roger Taney

    • Panic of 1837- After Jackson but happened b/c of Jackson; pet banks & specie circular -- payments for land had to be made in gold or silver -- led to mass inflation; poverty; unemployment; the usual; whigs blamed Democrats laissez-faire economics -- little gov action in economics

• Two-Party System- Democrats; Jackson; Jefferson Dem-Reps- South & Western frontier- South, wealthy farmers & common man, states’ rights leaning, pro-slavery, etc vs. Whigs; Henry Clay; Hamilton Federalists- North, bankers, strong gov, anti-slavery, etc.

• Election of 1840- William Harrison won over Van Buren (who served during Panic of 1837) b/c Americans were annoyed over poor state of econ. Made whigs a national party

Summary: During the Era of Good Feelings, a large expansion in voters was seen. This was primarily due to Universal Male Suffrage, letting all white males vote, campaigns become more popular and attracting the common man more, and the Spoils System, which appointed government workers off of support, not merit, allowing many more Americans get a voice and be gain government jobs, mostly, the middle-class, also allowing for many unqualified people to land jobs in the government. This was all best seen in the election of 1828, where war-hero, “Old Hickory” Andrew Jackson won, a man of the people, gaining additional support after the Corrupt Bargain in John Quincy Adams’ presidency in which Henry Clay used his influence to get Adams the electoral vote in return for becoming Secretary of State, and the Tariff of Abominations, a heavy tariff hated among Southerners, in 1828, both of which infuriated Southern and Western farmers-- the common man. Jackson’s presidency is most famous for his overuse of power in vetoing bills, the Indian Removal Act leading to the Trail of Tears in which thousands of Natives were removed from their land and pushed west of the Mississippi, the Nullification Crisis in South Carolina which almost prompted military intervention and set the precedent of Southern states nullifying acts to push their states’ rights ideas, and the veto of the National Bank, leading to the Panic of 1837. This panic, set in place by Jackson and poorly handled by his successor, Van Buren, strengthened the Whigs party, who were primarily Northerners supporting internal improvements and resembling Hamilton’s Federalists. This in turn created a two- party system between Democrats, who continued the ideas of Jefferson, and whigs, who continued the ideas of Hamilton. The Whigs rose to power and set themselves as a prominent form in the election of 1840, which began the end of Jacksonian Democrats, as events succeeding it would lead to debates over slavery, which Jackson did not tackle.

Chapter 11- (Antebellum/Reform)

• 2nd Great Awakening- In response to more liberal religious movements caused by Enlightenment (human reason); began through revivalist camps; Timothy Dwight; Charles Finney popularized it on Western frontier; returned faith to people by warning about damnation & appealing to emotions

  • Mormons- Joseph Smith; Latter-Day Saints; forced to flee to Utah b/c everyone hated mormons b/c of their polygamy (marrying more than one person)

  • Reform- Began voluntary societies which would further push antebellum reform; temperance, education, improving treatment of mentally-ill, abolition, & equal rights for women

• Transcendentalism- Ralph Emerson & Henry David Thoreau questioned doctrines of established churches & business practices of merchants;encouraged self-reliance & the power of the individual; Thoreau was basically the first to argue for non-violent protest (Civil Disobedience) by exposing unjust laws & not paying his taxes during Mex-Am war

• Utopias- Escaping from society to create “perfect” world; Mormons, Shakers, Amana Colonies, & New Harmonies; all examples of religious communal movements

• Reform- Wanted to replace old institutions w/ new ones through political action

  • Temperance- Stop drinking; pushed for by Protestants & argued w/ high crime rates & moral persuasion; German & Irish immigrants opposed but didn’t have much political power; politicians reformed some but it was overshadowed by slavery during Civil War & brought back later 

  • Public Asylums- Dorothea Dix; pushed for new mental facilities to be created w/ better conditions; as well as prisons & schools for the blind & deaf (those two being pushed for most by Samuel Howe & Thomas Gallaudet)

  • Public Education- Nation needed to be better educated; Horace Mann pushed for public schools; wanted moral education as well & more colleges

  • Women’s Role- Became more important to society due to industrialization

    • Cult of Domesticity- Women who stayed at home now became moral leaders

    • Women’s Rights- Sarah & Angelina Grimke; Lucretia Mott & Elizabeth Stanton all pushed for women’s rights; important in Anti-slavery movement

      • Seneca Falls Convention (1848)- Declaration of Sentiments; organized by Stanton & Mott; pushed for equality & women’s suffrage

  • Anti-Slavery Movement

    • American Colonization Society- Appealed to moderate anti-slavery reformers; send slaves back to Africa; appealed to racists who wanted to free America of AAs

    • American Anti-Slavery Society- William Llyod Garrison; The Liberator -- his anti-slavery newspaper -- called for immediate abolition of slavery

    • AA Abolitionists- Frederick Douglass; advocated for direct action to end slavery & prejudice; inspireed Harriet Tubman, David Ruggles, Soujourner Truth, etc.

    • Violent Abolitionism- David Walker & Henry Garnet pushed for slavery revolts

  • Southern Reaction- Saw Northern reform as a threat to “Southern way of life”; weren’t reformers; reform was mostly in North & West

Summary: During the Era of Good Feelings, the Jacksonian Era, and the remaining time before the Civil War, a great cultural shift into reform was seen, primarily in the North and West. Arguably starting with the Second Great Awakening, a religious movement to restore faith in Americans who had become disinterested with religion pushed for by Timothy Dwight and Charles Finney, beginning utopian projects by Mormons, Shakers, and other religious groups, this era of reform revolutionized how Americans thought. In large part due to Ralph Emerson and David Thoreau’s creation of Transcendentalism, Americans began to rely on themselves more, therefore beginning to push for reform, primarily to replace old institutions. Major reform movements included Temperance, aimed at prohibiting alcohol which was greatly opposed by the large amounts of new Irish and German immigrants, the pursuit for better treatment of the mentally-ill in asylums by Dorothea Dix, the push for public education led by Horace Mann, the push for women’s rights and suffrage seen best at the Seneca Falls Convention, organized by Elizabeth Stanton and Lucretia Mott, and the anti-slavery movement, having several different approaches; the American Colonization Society wanting gradual emancipation by ridding the US of African Americans by sending them back to Africa and the more radical approaches seen best in William Garrison’s newspaper -- The Liberator -- and African Americans abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass. However, despite many Americans joining the reform movement, it was primarily in the North and West, being seen as an obstruction to southern life in the South.